U.S. Pat. No. 7,684,441 generally discloses techniques for aligning measured data by analyzing the grid's frequency or amplitude variations to generate a cycle count offset by which one monitoring device's data lags or leads a reference monitoring device's data. This approach works very well for radial-fed power systems. However, power systems that include apparatuses such as transformers or very long conductor lengths such as transmission lines can introduce phase shifts into the measured data between monitoring devices upstream and downstream of the transformers or generators. These small phase shifts introduce fractional offsets in the cycle counts that can cause the cycle count offset to be shifted by fractions of a full cycle, such as defined by a 50 Hz or 60 Hz power signal. What is needed is an improved method for aligning measured data synchronously by calculating the precise number of cycles by which the measured data between a pair of monitoring devices differ for sequence of events analysis (e.g., how and when a fault propagates through the electrical system), fault detection analysis, clock adjustment in the monitoring devices, determining power flows throughout an electrical system, and other analyses.